Under Wraps
by Jemmiah
Summary: QuiGon interrupts an unusual game.


Thanks to Mouse for letting me borrow Rela.

TITLE: Under wraps.

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"This is the BEST game I have ever played!" Rela grinned. "I never got to play this stuff when I was a kid."

"I never got to play ANY games when I was a kid." Jemmy grumbled as the parcel was sent round the circle.

"No?" Meri's brow creased. "How come?"

"Because where I grew up there wasn't any kids." Jemmiah replied, straining her ears for the sound of the music cutting out. 

"You must have played some games?" Spider asked as she tried to hold on to the parcel a little longer than was permitted.

"Nope. Well…not unless you count hide and seek with the guards. I got very good at that." Jemmy said flippantly. "And stop cheating, Spider! That prize is mine, do you hear? Mine….MINE!"

"If you wanted it so badly you shouldn't have donated it in the first place." Letina grinned wolfishly.

"I'm not complaining!" Meri chuckled.

The music stopped.

"Jaz! Take off the next layer!" Kylenn clapped her hands. As Jasmyn did so, a great round of applause went up from the group.

The music started up again, and the parcel continued its journey round and round..

"We had a few parties and things when we were initiates." Kylenn remembered.

"Yoda used to come and sing to us." Letina grimaced.

"Oh, I'm sorry I missed that!" Jemmy said dryly. "Are you sure this music timer whatsit of yours isn't rigged?" 

Kylenn looked shocked." As if I'd do something like that!"

"We all saw you at that Cantina. You will never be seen as Miss Sweetness-And-Light ever again."

"You had to bring that up." Kylenn groaned. "It's not as if Sal-Fina didn't make a full recovery."

"More's the pity." Jemmiah said under her breath." 

The music stopped once more.

"Dimallie!" Letina pouted. "How'd you get so lucky?"

"It's the person who gets the last wrapper off the parcel who gets the prize." Rela said tartly. "And I'm telling you guys, it's going to be me!"

"ME!" Squeaked Jemmy indignantly.

"Me!" Spider, Jaz and Letina called out together.

"Talk about competitive." Kylenn shook her head in amazement. As Rela took the parcel she couldn't help but squeeze the outer wrapper.

"Don't prod, it's delicate." Jemmy grumbled. "You don't want it to break before the last layer's off!"

Rela sniffed. "I only wanted to see what lurked behind the covering."

"Keep that up and you won't get to." Jemmy drawled. She took the package and gave it back to Spider, who almost failed to notice that the music had faded again.

"Whoa, my turn!" Spider challenged Jaz.

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"You were too slow!" Jaz complained as the package was pulled back and forward between the two young women.

"Oh, give it to Spider." Meri said in exasperation. "You've already had a turn."

Sulking, Jaz returned the package to the triumphant Spider.

"Not many layers left!" Jemmy rubbed her hands.

"There's no way YOU are gonna win." Rela laughed. 

"Course I am." Jemmy said. "I deserve to win, therefor I will. The force is going to choose the most deserving person. ME!"

"Garbage!" Meri added.

For the next four minutes the parcel went round and round. Kylenn got to take off the next layer, followed by Spider yet again.

"Me!" Rela crowed triumphantly. 

"It's not the LAST layer." Letina reminded her.

Jemmiah grinned.

"But the next one is!"

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The noise of the party drifted outside the apartment that Jemmiah stayed in with her guardian. No, Qui-Gon amended as he accompanied Evla back to her rooms, the noise could be heard from as far away as the turbo lift…

"What's going on?" He frowned at the high pitched, feminine shrieks and cheers.

Evla sighed. "Jemmiah wanted to invite a few friends back."

"Dare I ask who?" Jinn said in a voice laden with dread.

"Rela, Meri, Kylenn… Oh, and that Gerri girl."

"SPIDER?" Qui-Gon said in horror.

"Who?" Evla shrugged. "I said yes. She's been a bit down of late and I thought it might cheer her up."

"They're probably tattooed in every nook and cranny." Qui-Gon shuddered.

"And what would you know about those?" Evla teased.

Qui-Gon held up his hand as they hovered outside the door, listening.

"ME!" Screamed Jemmiah in delight. "I won! I get to take the last layer off the parcel!"

"It's a fix!" Rela yelled, although she was laughing.

"I told you!" Jemmy whooped. "It's my lucky day!"

"In my experience there's no such thing as luck." Jinn mumbled with his ear to the door. "They're certainly worked up into a frenzy. What did she win?"

Qui-Gon and Evla opened the door and stepped into the living quarters.

"OBI-WAN?" Jinn could hardly get the words out in shock.

Kenobi looked up at his master, embarrassed and searching for something to say.

"I kept my socks on…" He offered with a grin.


End file.
